Fire Emblem: YuGiOh! Style
by Cherry Romancer
Summary: Updated at last! A young lord meets a gentle mercenary. Who was to know what would come of this encounter? Read and review!
1. Chapter 1

"Fire Emblem: Yu-Gi-Oh! Style"

By: Cherry Romancer

Prologue

Cherry: This is a crossover with the general idea of Fire Emblem, one of my favorite games. When I sat general idea of Fire Emblem, I mean, that I'm not going to use one of the storylines from a previous game, rather I'll make one up using the concept. You know, archers, lords, myrmidons (forgive me if I misspelled that), that sort of thing. I'm writing this as an apology for "Forests of Altara." Also, so you know, this story will also have GX characters in it. Enjoy. (And forgive me.)

---

A crowd had gathered in the village square, yelling and cheering, causing a general commotion. One could hear the ruckus for miles. He had to see what was going on, so he eased his way through the crowd to the front.

Ah. Now he understood what was going on.

He had stumbled upon a makeshift arena, and there were two men going at each other with heavy practice swords. It was not a death match, but the crowd was excited by it all the same. The young man looked over the two combatants.

One was fairly tall, had long brown hair, was slightly tanned, had brown eyes, and was fairly handsome. He seemded to have a decent sword arm, though it was clear that this was not his weapon of choice.

The young man turned to observe the other battler, and was stunned into silence.

This person seemed to be barely more than a child, though it was clear from the way he fought that he'd had many a year of training, meaning he must be older than he looked. He was small, had an interesting hairstyle; blonde bangs, black roots, and red tips, all done up in spikes; and had a youthful, rounded face. But what drew attention more than anything were the eyes. They were large and round, a deep amythest color, and shining with a brilliant innocence.

He had never seen anyone so beautiful in all his seventeen summers. (A/n: That was how they charted age in those times, by how many summers, springs, autumns, or winters you had seen, depending on which season you were born in.)

He watched the battle with heated interest now, though it was clear from the tall one's body language that the fight would not last much longer. Sure enough, a few more sword-on-sword blows, then the beauty brought his sword down heavily on the tall one's head, knocking him out cold and drawing equal cheers and groans from the audience as those who had gambled on the battle exchanged agreed amounts of gold pieces.

As the loser of the match awoke and the crowd dispersed, the victor began to walk away, having collected his winnings from the referee.

Now, the young man wasn't about to let that happen.

"Hold a moment!" he called. The battler, surprised, turned about to face him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"That was an excellent bout. I've not seen such skillful swordplay for a long time."

The small man smiled. "Thank you milord." He bowed.

"Please, there's no need for formalities," the young lord said. "My name is Yami. Yami Coular. Would you perhaps like to stay at my manse this evening?"

"Coular?" The young man seemed intimidated. Not surprising, really, since the Coular house was one of the most prominent in the nation. The young battler bowed deeply. "I am sorry, milord Coular, but I cannot. I have friends that I am to meet soon, and we take our leave of this town tonight."

"A shame." Truly it was. He had hoped to persuade him to stay at the manse and maybe teach him some skills with the sword.

"My apologies."

"There is no need to be sorry. You have done nothing wrong," Yami assured him. As the youth turned to walk away, one last thought occurred to him. "Will you at least tell me your name?"

The man stopped a moment, then moved on, but not before replying, "Call me Yugi."

---

Cherry: Not too bad, I'd say, especially considering I've never written anything Fire Emblem before. Anyways, reviews are always appreciated, and flames are used as kindling to start a nice fire at the nightly camp. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

"Fire Emblem: Yu-Gi-Oh! Style"

By: Cherry Romancer

Chapter One

Cherry: Ah, the first chapter of an epic saga. Blessed be the power of the keyboard!

Yami: What?

Yugi: Yami, don't encourage her.

---

Yami fell backwards, landing rather harshly on his backside. (A/n: NO! Must not abuse the Yami-butt! It's too perfect!) Gasping for air, he swiftly pulled himself to his feet and swung his practice sword at his instructor, who barely evaded the attack. He continued the charge until his instructor suddenly swung his own practice sword at Yami's wrist, smacking it hard and momentarily rendering it numb, then swung the sword at Yami's head, stopping just short of his neck.

Seto nodded his head. "That was much better. You're learning to spots weakness in your opponent's form, but you still must learn to guard your own." He lowered his sword. "That is enough practice today, Lord Yami."

Yami growled dangerously. "No it is not! My endurance will never improve if we stop every time I am winded." He raised his sword again. "Once again, and this time, do not hold back!"

Seto blinked. "You could tell I was holding back?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course I could!" Yami grumped.

Seto smiled. "Then you have improved far more than I realized. As for your stamina, it is already greater than mine. I am the one who needs a break, so enough practice for now."

Yami smiled at his long-time friend. "Very well, Sir Seto." He then stretched and sauntered back into the manse, placing the practice sword next to the Rapier he longed to use. He took a moment to gaze fondly at the weapon. He truly wanted to pick up that sword and practice with it, but Seto said that he was not yet ready to wield the actual thing. Still, it did not keep him from wishing.

Seto walked in, saw Yami, then shook his head and smiled. "You know that you're not ready yet."

"I know, but I am permitted to look," Yami replied.

"Milord, is your practice complete?" a servant asked.

"For the moment," he answered. "Why"

"You father has requested your presence in the study," she said.

Yami grumbled. "Knowing that man, it's a demand, not a request." Still, he proceeded upstairs to see his father.

"Ah, Yami. Come here, son," Lord Coular said, beckoning him over.

"Yes father?"

"I just recieved this notice from House Dulvar," he said, handing his son a piece of parchment.

Yami took it and read, "Our son, Heba, has gone missing. We fear he may have been kidnapped. Please Lord Coular, if you've any news regarding the whereabouts of my son, send me word immediately, for not only is he gone, but our family's most valued possession is gone with him. Lord Dulvar."

"What does this have to do with me?" Yami asked.

"I was merely notifying you. House Dulvar has always been a close friend of House Coular, so it behooves us to lend as much aid as possible. Tell me, have you heard any news regarding this?"

"Father, I didn't even know Lord Dulvar had a son until I read this note." It was true. Even though the two families had always been close, Yami had never had one whit of interest in them, and so had not bothered to learn a thing about them.

His father sighed, frustrated by his son's attitude. "Very well, but do be kind enough to inform me if you learn anything."

"I will," Yami said, then turned and headed for the front door, needing time away from his home.

Yami truly hated being of noble blood. All that he wanted was to travel about the land, honing his skills with a blade, but being the only heir to House Coular, he was responsible for learning all he needed to someday inherit and run the estate.

Yami wandered about for several hours, and found himself at the local inn/pub. He entered, needing a good drink(1).

"Ah, Lord Yami," the barkeep said with the easy familiarity of long-time friends. "What'll it be this time my lord?"

"Usual pint," Yami responded.

"Right away." The barkeep turned to pour him his ale, and Yami took the moment to take a good look around. After a moment, he spotted the other fighter from the battle he'd witnessed last week. He was sitting with another tall individual who had shoulder-length, dark blue hair and cold eyes, and a pretty young woman that had hazel eyes and long, sandy-blonde hair.

"Here you go milord," the barkeep said, handing him his drink.

"Who are those three over there?" Yami asked, pointing.

"Oh, them? Well, the cold-looking one is named Zane. He a dangerous feller, a Shaman."

"He uses dark magic?"

"Yep. Don't wanna get on his bad side. The guy next to him is called Atticus. (A/n: Where the hell did the dubbers pull that name from?) He's a Myrmidon, and a pretty good one. The young lady is named Alexis. She's Atticus's sister, and she's a Pegasus Knight."

"A Pegasus Knight? I thought you couldn't find pegasi outside of Zephna!"

"Well, take a look 'round back, 'cause that's where it is. Right beauty it is too, just like it's rider." Barkeep gazed at Alexis appreciatively, then turned to a new customer.

Yami watched them for a moment, then took his drink and went over to them.

"Hello," he said as though he had known them for years.

Zane blinked, then said, "Can we help you?"

"Zane, don't be rude," Alexis scolded.

"No, no, it's okay. I am sort of intruding," Yami said. "It's just I reconized him," and he gestured at Atticus," from a battle I witnessed last week."

Atticus groaned. "Great. Someone else come to gawk at the loser who lost to a child."

"Atticus, you're becoming as bad as Zane!" Alexis admonished.

Yami smiled. "I understand you're frustration, but you do realize that your opponent wasn't a child, don't you?"

Atticus lifted his head. "Of course I realized, but I didn't think anyone else had." He smiled. "I'm Atticus, by the way. This is my nagging sister Alexis, and this is our good friend Zane."

Yami nodded at each of them, though Alexis was too busy grumbling to notice. "My name is Yami Coular."

"Of House Coular?" Alexis gasped.

"Yes."

Zane merely looked at him. "Hm. So you're a mighty Lord. Are you here for some purpose, or do you merely wish to see how us commoners live?"

"ZANE!" Alexis and Atticus yelled.

Yami laughed. "It's nice to meet someone who's not afraid of me because of my family. And no, I come here often. It's a nice place to forget you're a Lord and mingle with regular people."

Atticus smiled. "Sound familiar sis'?" Alexis smiled back.

"I beg your pardon?" Yami asked, confused.

Zane looked him in the eye for a long moment, then said, "I believe it would be safe to tell him."

Alexis nodded, then turned to Yami. "Zane here is the eldest son of House Trusedale in Zephna, and Atticus and I are his personal bodyguards."

"Or we would be if he would let us do our job," Atticus teased, drawing a small smile from Zane.

"Zane is a student of elder magic, dark magic some call it, my brother is a Myrmidon, as you no doubt know if you saw that bettle, and I am a Pegasus Knight. We're traveling, searching for a missing someone."

"Would it by any chance be Lord Dulvar's son?" Yami asked.

"Yes, how did you know?" Zane asked.

"My father just recieved word today that he's gone missing, though reading in between the lines of that letter, I don't think he was kidnapped."

"Neither do we," Atticus admitted. "We know Lord Heba, and there is no way anyone could have kinapped him. We think he's just snuck off somewhere by himself."

"He always has been headstrong," Alexis agreed.

Yami yawned and stretched. "Would you like to come stay at the manse tonight? We've more than enough room, and I'm sure that it would be much better than this inn."

Zane looked at him for another long moment, then nodded. "It would be nice to sleep in a proper house tonight."

Alexis smiled. "Okay, just let me go get Kazna." She hurried out the back way. The three young mewn headed out front to wait for her, and when she arrived on the back of her magnificent pegasus, they headed for the manse.

Half a mile from the Clouar house, though, Alexis came swooping down from where she had been flying above them, looking worried.

"There is a fire! A great fire half a mile east of here!" she exclaimed.

Yami gasped. "That's the manse!"

They took off running, and when they got there, sure enough, the great house was ablaze. However, it was clear that this was not an accident. There were Soliders all around, battling with Lord Coular's own small army.

Zane recognized the banner they flew. "That army belongs to House Dulvar!"

"What? But that's impossible! Lord Dulvar is close friends with my father! He would never!" Yami exclaimed. Unfortunately, his yell drew the attention of several troops.

Yami stepped backwards, being unarmed and unable to defend himself. The first Solider that rushed at him, however, fell to the ground, a lance stuck out of his back.

Alexis flew over and retrieved her Javelin. "Lord Yami, try to find your father and get out of here! We'll hold these bastards off!"

"Okay. Be careful, and meet me by the town's south gate at sunrise!" Yami yelled.

"We will," Zane said before hurling a Flux spell at an oncoming enemy, killing him with one fell spell.

Yami hurried off, hiding whenever an enemy came within sight, then dashing off again when they were gone. It was an hour of this "duck-and-dash" until he came to the other side of the manse, where he saw the most horrific sight he'd ever seen.

His father lay on the ground, covered in blood, eyes glazed over with the fog of death, and Seto was on back of his white stallion, fighting with another Paladin, and quite clearly losing.

"Give it up Sir Seto," his opponent said. "Your lord is already dead, and once we find the lording of this house, he will join him."

"I'll not give up. You will have to kill me first!"

"That can be arranged!" And the two began battling again, lance versus lance. While they were engaged, Yami snuck over to his father's body.

"Father," he whispered, not really believing what lay before his very eyes. He had never gotten along very well with the man, but he had still been his father. Yami didn't want to believe that he was dead.

"Father, what should I do?" he asked quietly. Almost as if his father had responded, light from the fire glinted of the sword clutched in his father's hand. It was the Rapier that Yami had been longing to use. Yami took it into his hand.

Behind him, Seto fell off his horse, drawing Yami's attention to the battle. His foe dismounted.

"It's over, Sir Seto. You have lost!" the enemy Paladin yelled, preparing to run his lance through Seto's chest.

Seto braced himself, but the impact never came. He opened his eyes to see Lord Yami had run his father's Rapier though the man's chest, successfully killing him.

Yami pulled the blade from the dead corpse, shaking. He couldn't believe what was happening. House Coular had always trusted House Dulvar, and now, for no reason, they turned on them and attacked while their guard was down. What was the meaning of this?

Seto stood and placed a hand on Yami's shoulder. "Lord Yami, there's no time to give your father the proper burial he deserves. We must escape from here before the remainder of the enemy troops arrive!"

Yami nodded and sighed. "Forgive me father." He climbed onto the back of the dead Paladin's horse, hoping it would obey him. Fortunately, it did, so he and Seto rode off as swiftly as they could.

"Seto, head for the south gate. We wait there until my friends arrive."

"Friends?"

"Allies from House Trusedale in Zephna."

They hurried to the south gate, and at sunrise, Zane, Atticus, and Alexis all arrived, looking very battleworn.

"Come, we must hurry. There may be more troops nearby. We must escape," Yami said.

"But where will we go?" Atticus asked.

"House Katsuya is south of here. It'll be a day's hard ride, but it's out best option."

"Lord Yami is right. We can rest there and plan our next move," Seto said.

"You speak as though we are bound to come with you," Zane said coldly.

Yami looked at him. "Think about it. If any of the troops recognized you, they may have escaped and are enroute to notify their Lord. If you do not come with us, they will hunt you down anyway."

"Zane, he's right. We've got no choice now," Alexis said.

"If I'd known this were to happen, I would have stayed at the inn," Zane complained as they headed south.

---

Cherry: My eyes hurt. I had a hard time blinking while writing this chapter.

Yugi: (hands Cherry some eye drops)

Cherry: Thank you sweetie! (kisses Yugi)

Yami: (growls)


	3. Chapter 3

"Fire Emblem: Yu-Gi-Oh! Style"

By: Cherry Romancer

Chapter 1x

Cherry: This chapter will focus on our young mercenary, Yugi.

Yami: Cherry, I've played Fire Emblem games before, and I just can't picture Yugi being a mercenary.

Cherry: (blinks) I don't mean the classification Mercenary. He's actually a Ranger. I just meant that he makes a living as a mercenary.

Yami: Oh. But I can't picture that either.

Yugi: (getting irritated) Then what do you picture me as?

Yami: (grinning mischievously) A Dancer!

Yugi: DANCER?

Cherry: That's a woman's category.

Yami: Yup.

Yugi: (hits Yami with Cherry's frying pan)

---

"Come on guys!" Yugi called to his companions. "We still have a bit more ground to cover if we're to make it to House Katsuya!"

"Hey, I'm not the one taking forever!" came the upbeat voice of a cherrful brunette.

Yugi smiled. "Yes, I know Jaden, but still, you could give Syrus a hand. He's not used to traveling like we are."

Sure enough, the short-statured bluenette came staggering up behind them, looking exhausted. He looked peadingly at Yugi, who decided it was time to have some mercy on their young lordling.

"Okay, okay, we'll take a short rest," he said, sniggering. Syrus smiled and sat down on a nearby small boulder.

Jaden sat next to him. "Aw, come on Sy. It's not that hard out here!"

Syrus glared at him. "_You've been traveling your entire life Jaden! I've been studying magic with my master for pretty much my entire life, so of course it's hard for me out here_!" Jaden looked at Yugi.

"He said you've traveled your whole life, and he's spent his studying with his master," Yugi translated, glad once again for the time he'd spent learning different languages.

Syrus, though born of House Trusedale, had spent almost all of his life in a remote area, apprenticed to a very old Sage, and because of this, he could not speak any language other than the ancient tongue. Yugi, luckily, understood him with perfect clarity since Sy's old master had taught him, but Jaden had to rely on rough translations from Yugi. Even so, Syrus and Jaden had formed a tight friendship, one that didn't rely on words. It made Yugi happy to see such close friends.

The trio lounged for a bit before an ear-splitting scream reverberated through the air. They all looked at each other for a moment, then hurried to find the source of the distress call. Once they had crested the next hill, they saw what was going on.

A group of bandits had attacked a small farm village, taking everything of value that wasn't nailed down. The scream had come from a particularly close house.

Yugi, Jaden, and Syrus hurried forward and rushed through the broken door to see a middle-aged woman attempting to shield who seemed to be her son, taking the ruffian's brutal blows upon her own body. It was clear from that the poor woman would not be able to take the beating for much longer, so Syrus quickly flung a Fire spell at the Bandit's back, throwing him across the room and putting him out of commission.

The young Mage hurried over to the abused pair and said without thinking, "_Are you two alright_?"

Yugi and Jaden didn't expect them to understand, but surprisingly, the young boy who was cradling the now-unconcious woman said in kind, "_Yes, we're fine. Well, for the most part anyway. Thank you for saving us_."

Jaden blinked. "Great. Another one."

The young man looked up. "Oh, you do speak the current language. When I heard him speak, I thought you only knew the Tongue of the Goddess." He stood slowly, carrying the woman to a nearby cot. "Thank you for the help. I'm afraid I do not know how to fight. Being a mere Priest, I only know how to use healing staves. Speaking of which. . ." He turned and picked up a previously unnoticed staff that had a faintly glowing gem mounted on top of it and held it over the woman. He spoke a swift prayer and used the staff's power to heal her wounds. Once she was recovered he turned to the mercenaries. "Forgive me. My name is Ryou."

"Introductions later! There are more bandits out there terrorizing the rest of the villiage! We've gotta help them," Jaden said, clutching his Iron Axe and running out the door.

"_Jaden! Wait up! You're going to get yourself killed_!" Syrus called, rushing after him.

Yugi turned to Ryou. "Will you help us? Maybe you can't fight, but a Heal staff will certainly come in handy."

"Of course I'll help!" Ryou said, hurrying out the door.

When they got outside, they saw that the impulsive Warrior Jaden had already cut down a good number of them, and Syrus wasn't doing to badly himself, seeing how many Bandits were laying on the ground looking like an overdone piece of meat. Yugi jumped into the fray immediately, his sword placing him at an advantage against their axe-wielding opponents. He jumped from one opponent to the next, using a basic "parry-and-thrust" tactic to cut them down until a particularly large brute came over and sliced him across the chest with a Longsword.

"Yugi!" Jaden yelled. He quickly finished off his opponent and came to help Yugi.

Syrus got there quicker, and threw a rather powerful Fire spell at him. Unfortunately, the bandit used his sword to block the majority of the spell, so he only took a little damage. This didn't daunt the young Sage, however, and he kept on casting Fire at his enemy, Jaden coming and helping him with his axe. While the two kept him distracted, Ryou hurried over and used his Heal staff to close the wound on Yugi's chest. Once that was taken care of, Yugi pulled himself to his feet.

"Hey!" he yelled at the large fellow, effectively ending the battle between the three as Syrus and Jaden backed off.

The large man turned to him. "Who are you supposed to be? Some wandering heros trying to earn their way into some bard's ballad?"

Yugi smirked. "Nothing of the sort. We're mercenaries. Who are you?"

"I am Gerlon, leader of the Gerlon Bandits!" he said proudly.

Yugi gazed over the battlefield. "You'd best look again, because you're the last bandit standing."

Surprised, Gerlon took in his surroundings and sure enough, the rest of his relatively small band was either dead or halfway there. He turned and gave Yugi an evil look. "How could you three mercenaries take down my entire band so easily?"

"Because we're good at what we do," Jaden remarked.

Gerlon let out a roar of fury. "You will pay for this with your blood!" he yelled, running right at Yugi. Yugi parried his initial blow, then came back with one of his own, but only managed to graze the man. As the Myrmidon's sword came swinging at him again, Yugi dodged to the right, which caused Gerlon to lose his balance. This gave Yugi the opening he was looking for, and he ran the man through.

Gerlon choked, falling to his knees. "How can this be? Y-you're nothing but mercenaries . . ." He then coughed up blood and died.

Yugi sighed, using the dead man's clothes to clean his sword. He then picked up Gerlon's Longsword, examining it. When he deemed it in good condition, he took it and it's sheath and packed them with the rest of his belongings.

"_Do you think there are any more of them hiding anywhere in the village_?"

"I don't think so. If there are any hiding, they'll likely wait until they think it is safe, then flee. Most bandits will flee once thier leader has died," Yugi responded. He then turned to Ryou. "Thank you Priest. That first sword sword would likely have been the end of me were it not for you."

"It's the least I can do. After all, you not only my life, but the lives of all the villagers as well," Ryou said.

The woman that they had saved earlier finally emerged from her house, looking worn out but healthy. "Thank you strangers. You've saved our lives. If you like, you can stay at my house the night."

"Thank you, but we must be going. We're expected somewhere," Yugi said.

"Where are you headed?" Ryou asked.

"We're headed for House Katsuya," Jaden said.

"Truly? Then our meeting truly is the blessing of the Goddess! I am on my way to House Katsuya as well!" Ryou exclaimed.

"_You mean, this isn't your home village_?" Syrus asked, confused.

"No, this isn't my home village. I merely stayed with that kind woman there last night." He turned to her. "Thank you , by the way, for protecting me from that man."

She smiled. "You remind me much of my own son. I could not sit there and watch you be hurt."

Ryou bowed to her then turned back to Yugi. "Might I accompany you? As I said before, I'm no fighter, and I don't want to run into any trouble on the road."

"Of course you can come with us," Yugi answered.

"Thank you! Blessings of the Goddess upon you," Ryou said.

Yugi smiled and turned to Jaden and Syrus. "Okay guys, let's get these bodies somewhere where they won't bother people. Then we can be on our way." They got to work cleaning up the battlefield, prepared to do all the work on their own, but the rest of the village came to help them. It only took them a few minutes to finish. As they turned to leave, the village headman caught up with them.

"Here. This is for you as thanks for saving our village. It's only a little, but it's all we can afford." He handed them a sack of gold.

"Thank you headman," Yugi said, handing the money to Syrus. "Well then, shall we gentlemen?" They walked down the road, and once they were out of earshot of the village, Yugi asked, "How much is in there?"

"_About 1,000_," he answered, putting the money with the rest of their travel funds.

"Not too shabby for a farming village," Jaden said.

"You understood him?" Yugi asked, surprised.

"I understood the 1,000 part," Jaden answered, grinned. "Now come on! Let's get to House Katsuya already! I could use a good, hot bath."

"_I'll say_," Syrus commented.

---

Cherry: Waah! I wanted to use the Symbol font for the ancient language, but it didn't work, so I had to use underline and italics for it.

Yugi: (sighs)

Kaelyn: It's too bad. It would've been a nice touch.

Yami: (enters the room, holding something behind his back) Aibou! I have something for you!

Yugi: Really? What is it?

Yami: (holds up a sexy-looking dancer's outfit) It's something I hoped we could both enjoy! (gives a perverted grin)

Yugi: (raises an eyebrow)

Yami: What? I know you're not a Dancer in the story, but can't you be one for me for just a little bit? I'll make it worth your while. (sends Yugi an X-rated mental image)

Yugi: (blushes and grabs outfit) Let's take this into another room, shall we? (leaves with Yami)

Kaelyn: That's so cute. I'm gonna go spy on them! (hurries off)

Cherry: And when Kae gets caught, I'll have the hospital on standby. Please review people! I've only gotten two reviews! Please tell me what you think of this story!


	4. Chapter 4

"Fire Emblem: Yu-Gi-Oh! Style"

By: Cherry Romancer

Chapter 2

Cherry: Sorry that this took so long, but mixing Fire Emblem and Yu-Gi-Oh is hard!

Kaelyn: Well, I'm sure your readers appreciate the difficulty. I know I do!

Yami: (is playing Fire Emblem on his GBA)

Cherry: If I had known that getting him that game would shut him up, I'd have gotten one long ago!

Yugi: Hey now! Then I'd have gotten even less attention from him than I am right now!!

Kaelyn: Aw, but you still have us!

Yugi: I want my boyfriend.

Yami: Can you guys be quiet? I'm trying to concentrate here.

Yugi: (gives Yami an evil glare)

Cherry: You know, you may want to pay attention to Yugi.

Yami: (oblivious) Anima magic is strong against Light magic...

Yugi: (looks ready to cry)

---

Zane and Atticus watched as Seto and Alexis trained in the courtyard, Seto on his horse, Roland, and Alexis on her Kazna, batting hard using practice lances. Alexis had an advantage, being able to take flight, but Seto's skills were far beyond hers, and she soon found herself laying on the ground, gingerly rubbing the bruise on her shoulder where Seto's lance had struck her.

Atticus came over to help her up, grinning. "I told you that you shouldn't try to take on the famous Seto Kaiba!"

Seto looked at him. "Do not mock your sister. She put up a truly amazing fight. That was well done Alexis."

Alexis blushed. "Thank you."

"Yeah, not too shabby," came a now-familiar voice from the doorway. They all turned to see Joey, son of the actual lord of House Katsuya, but currently acting lord while his father was away. Even though it was dangerous, he was letting them stay there to recuperate from the ordeal at House Coular, something for which they were all immensely grateful.

"Ah, Lord Joey. how is Lord Yami?" Seto asked. Ever since their arrival, Yami had kept very much to himself, rarely emerging from his guest room and hardly speaking at all.

Joey looked uncomfortable. "It's hard to say. He's begun to train again, but... well..." He trailed off for a moment. "Just come and see."

They all followed after him to another area of the yard, where they saw Yami swinging a practice sword at some dummies, and Seto instantly saw the problem. Yami was being far too aggressive, just wildy swinging about, not seeming to care when one of the dummies fell apart from the abuse, just moving on to the next one.

"So what's up? Is he always like that?" Atticus asked.

"No, not at all. Usually he's very controlled, almost hesitant, whenever he trains," Seto answered. "To see him like this..."

"He's taking his aggression out on the dummies rather than on people," Zane said simply. "Actually, what he's doing is rather healthy."

"Yes, but still..."

"LORD JOEY!!" came a cry from within the manse. Joey took off, followed by everyone except Yami, who had not even known they were there.

"What is it?" Joey demanded of the guard who had yelled.

"Look sire! All around the manse!" the guard said. "We are surrounded by Dulvar's troops!"

"What?!" Joey yelped, looking about. Sure enough, a small force had surrounded them. Fortunately, their numbers were few.

"They isn't _too_ many of them," Alexis stated.

"I agree. We could probably take them," Atticus said.

"I don't know. This seems too easy," Zane said thoughtfully. "How do we know that what we see is all there are?"

"Where could they hide?" Atticus asked.

"A few miles north, there is a thick patch of trees that could easily hide a backup force. We hid there on our way here, remember?" All of them turned around to see Yami coming towards them, Rapier in hand. "I suggest we approach this with caution and strategy."

"I agree," Joey said. He turned to the guard. "We'll wait until they make some sort of move. In the meantime, have someone bring me my armor."

The guard hurried off to spread the orders, then returned with the heavy armor of a Knight. Joey donned it and grabbed an Iron Lance as everyone else began to prepare themselves as well, Atticus with his Iron Blade, Seto with both an Iron Lance and a Steel Sword, Zane ready with his Flux spellbook, Alexis with her Javelin, and Yami, of course, with his Rapier. Joey insisted, however, that he go out alone first, just in case this wasn't the situation that it appeared to be.

He approached the leader of this faction. "Is there any reason that my home is surrounded by your troops?" he asked.

"Yes Lord Katsuya. We have information that there are rebels hiding somewhere within your lands. We have come to give notice, and warning if necessary."

Joey looked around. "It seems to me that you are about to wage war. I must inform you that this would be a grave error. Dulvar may be the most prominent house, but Katsuya had the most military might."

The commander smirked. "Not anymore." He waved his arm, and in an instant, more troops appeared from the trees, just as Yami had thought. There were too many to count, and upon seeing them, Joey turned an headed back into the house.

"There are too many of them for the troops that are within the manse, including us," he said. He called for his best scout. "Get word to the soliders that are with my sister. We need backup." The scout turned and left. "Once that force gets here, we'll win. No doubt about it."

"But we still need to last until they get here," Zane pointed out.

"Don't worry. They're not as far as you're imagining. It will take a few hours for my scout to get there, then a few more hours for them to arrive. We only need last that long," Joey assured them.

Atticus looked at the troops outside that were now forcing their way into house Katsuya. "I only hope we can make it."

LINELINE

Several bloody hours later, many of Joey's troops had fallen and the enemy was now approaching the throne room where they all were. Yami gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.

"Be ready. Here they come," Yami said.

A mounted Cavalier was the first to enter. Fortunately for them, Yami's Rapier had a special advantage over mounted forces; its long blade was able to reach further than a regular sword. Because of this, one decisive strike brought the man down. Unfortunately, this was only the start of their troubles.

Knights in heavy body armor, Soliders wielding long lances, and Myrmidons and Mercenaries carrying swords stood outside the doors. The limited entry space made it difficult for them to enter, but they had numbers far greater than they had anticipated.

"Now what?" Atticus demanded as he slew another foe. "We're out of time!"

Zane drew an enemy's strength from him using a Nosterfatu(1) spell. "We have to hold out just a little longer! We have too!!"

One more fell to Joey's lance, only for two more to step forward. "This looks really bad!!"

"Well, let's see if we can't make it look a little bit better!" came a voice that Yami recognized. He looked up and saw the very one who had been haunting his thoughts for over a week.

"Yugi!!" Joey called. "Perfect timing!! Help us out here!!"

"You got it!! Jaden, Syrus, ready?" Yugi said.

"ALWAYS!!" yelled Jaden, he and his axe already jumping into the fray. Syrus merely nodded and flung a Fire spell at several troops, incinerating them. As for the young Ranger, he drew the Longsword he had obtained at the village and began making quick work of the mounted forces.

Yami, Zane, Alexis, Atticus, and Seto were all shocked. The three of them had easily halved a force that had them outnumbered and overpowered by unknown multiples, not including the troops they'd have to have cut through to reach the throne room. They were so busy being shocked and no one noticed when an Archer's arrow peirced Yami's chest. (A/n: WAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!) Badly wounded, Yami fell, fearing that this would be his end.

Yugi, however, noticed. "RYOU!!" he yelled.

Seemingly from nowhere, a Preist that was pale from hair to robes appeared from nowhere, kneeling by his side and holding one ear, looking annoyed. "You didn't need to shout like that. I'm right here!!" he grumped, then he proceeded to treat Yami. "I have to remove this arrow before I can heal you, but it's going to hurt, so hold on."

Ryou gave a great yank and pulled the arrow out of the now-howling Yami. He then quickly grasped his Heal staff and prayed over Yami's wound, which healed, taking the pain with it. Once he was recovered, Yami stood and pushed Ryou onto the throne. "You have my gratitude, but remain there. I know that Priests cannot fight," he said, swiftly rejoining the battle.

Sadly, even with the new aid, they were vastly outnumbered, and they were beginning to grow tired. They fought with all of their strength, but it was in vain, as the leader of the forces, a General clad in red armor, stepped forth.

"I applaud you. I underestimated how long you would last. House Katsuya truly does not lie about its martial might. It seems almost a waste to kill you all here. You children lasted far longer than your adult troops."

While the man continued to monologue, Syrus got behind him. Turning to a page in his spellbook that he wasn't entirely certain he was ready for, he concentrated all of his remaining power, and cast Thunder at the General's back. However, it didn't do neary as much damage as Syrus had hoped. In fact, all it seemed to do was grab the man's attention.

"Well, aren't you a cheeky little one? Very bold as well." The red General paused, grabbing Syrus by the collar and lifting him up. "Very pretty, too. Hmm... well, the master didn't say we had to kill _all_ of you, so I think I will keep this one."

Jaden and Zane, of course, did not like the sound of this at all. Jaden hefted his axe, and Zane lifted his spellbook, but the man had apparently anticipated this, for he swung the great lance that he was carrying, creating some sort of powerful force that threw them backwards.

Though the man's face was hidden by his helm, Syrus could feel the leering eyes seemingly undressing him. He didn't like this man at all. "_Let me go!! Put me down this instant, you over-armored buffon!!_" he demanded, kicking at him in an attempt to free himself.

"The ancient tongue? My goodness, you are facinating!" the General said, either not understanding or ignoring Syrus.

Syrus was becoming more afraid by the moment. He was starting to wonder if he would be able to escape (defeating the army had become a distant second in his mind), when suddenly one of the enemy troops came bursting into the throne room.

"S-sir!! Enemy reinforcments from the north! Too many for us to defeat!!"

"Damn!" He turned to Yami and Joey. "So that's what you were really up too; stalling until they got here. Again, impressive, but now I must take my leave of you delightful children." He dropped Syrus. "And you, cute one, I shall come again for." And with that, the mysterious Red General and what remained of his forces retreated.

Zane was by his brother's side in an instant. "Syrus! Are you okay? What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to still be studying with Sage Sheppard!!" He said this all very quickly.

"_Zane!! Give me a chance to answer! Now, in order, I'm okay, but I'll be better after a LONG bath, I'm here because I've reached a point in my training where I must travel about as a mercenary, and yes, I am still studying under Master Sheppard,_" Syrus answered.

Jaden came over and pulled Syrus to his feet. "There ya go, buddy! You alright?" Syrus nodded happily.

Yugi pulled himself to his feet. "Ryou, I know you're tired, but we need your healing abilities. Please."

Ryou nodded. "Of course." He hurried about, healing those that were still left alive.

Yugi turned to Joey. "Well, that was interesting. What'd you do to make them so mad?" he asked.

Before Joey could answer, Yami stepped forward. "Actually, it was us they were after. They were Dulvar's troops, and I believe that they are after me because I escaped the attack on House Coular."

"What? Attack on House Coular?" Yugi said, turning sharply to face Yami. "What has happened? Tell me everything!"

LINELINE

"All of this because his son has disappeared?" Yugi muttered. "I wish I could say that I thought it were out of concern for Lord Heba's well-being, but I've met Lord Dulvar before, and he hardly struck me as the caring sort."

"A mercenary knows the lord of a great house?" Zane asked disbelievingly.

"Actually, yes. I met him shortly after his son ran off. He came to the pub where I happened to be, looking for mercenaries to track Heba down. He even approached me and attempted to hire me. I might have considered working for him, were it not for the sheer coldness that surrounded the man. Not only that, but from the way he spoke, he cared not one whit about Heba. All he wanted was the item that went missing with him."

"What was it that disappeared, anyway?" Alexis asked.

Yugi looked grim. "The Fire Emblem."

"The legendary Fire Emblem?" Seto exclaimed. "_THAT_ was House Dulvar's treasured possesion?!?"

"Yes. Lord Dulvar himself told me of what was missing so that I would know how important it is to retrieve it. He spoke more of the emblem than of Heba."

Joey looked rather distressed. "Well, at least now we know why he's been acting so fiercely. If the power of the Fire Emblem were to fall into the wrong hands..."

"It sounds like Dulvar _is_ that wrong hand," Yami said. "We must find Lord Heba before his father does!"

Jaden shook his head. "No. What we need to do is speak with the Empress. We must make sure that Dulvar does not sway her to his side!"

Yami looked at him as though just realizing he was there. "And you are?"

"Name's Jaden. I'm the best Warrior there is!" Jaden stated proudly.

"_And the most egotistical_," Sryus commented. Jaden looked at him, having an idea of what he had said. Ignoring them as he always did, Yugi stepped over to Yami.

"I'm very sorry for what happened to your home, but we must make haste to Her Majesty's palace to ensure it doesn't happen again. Please. This is the very reason we came to ask House Katsuya for aid. We're only mercenaries; we won't be allowed anywhere near the palace, but we're the only ones left alive who know the truth." Yugi bowed his head down. "Please, I beg of you. With you, son of Lord Coular, with us, we have a much better chance. Please!"

Yami lifted Yugi's head. "There is no need to beg. I will come with you!"

"Truly?"

"Truly. Seto, make ready, we leave as soon as we are prepared!"

"Yes sir," Seto replied, hurrying off to do as asked. Yami turned to the rest of his friends.

"What about the rest of you? I won't ask you to come with me as far as the palace, but we could use the help."

Joey was on his feet in an instant. "I'm coming! Father will be back in a couple of days anyway. My sister will be able to manage things for that long."

"We're in," Atticus and Alexis responded simultaneously.

Ryou stood as well. "I shall come too. You will probably have need of my staff many times down the road."

Jaden enthusiastically cheered. "ALRIGHT! With this company, we're sure to make it there _and_ get the attention of the Empress!"

Syrus looked at Zane, who had been quiet the entire time. "_Brother?_"

Zane looked seriously at him. "Syrus, I want you to return to Sheppard's side."

"_WHAT?? WHY??_"

"Because this will be dangerous. More dangerous by far than what you're used to,"

Syrus stood huffily and strode over to the rest of the company. "_I'm going too. You have no say in what I do anymore,_" he snapped.

Zane stared for a moment, then shook his head. "You really do take after mother. Very well. We shall go together, but don't try to do more than you can handle."

Syrus nodded.

"Okay, everyone get ready. I'll send word to my sister, then we must leave at once," Joey said.

--

Cherry: Oh my GOD!! Glorious!! It's finally finished. I hit such a block with this chapter when it came to the battle scene!

Kaelyn: It still sucks.

Cherry: Go to hell! I don't usually write stuff like that!

Yugi: (sadly) Yami's still ignoring me!

Cherry: Oh don't worry. You know how good he is at games. He'll be done before you know it!

Yugi: I want him to pay attention now! I have something for him for Christmas!!

Yami: (looks up instantly) You do?

Yugi: Uh-huh. (grabs Yami's collar) It's in the other room.

Kaelyn: (follows quietly)

Cherry: Okay, then. Please review!!!!


End file.
